July 2, 2012 - McDonalds

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Today was one of restlessness. I had permission to not work today from my boss, who suggested I take a bereavement leave.  However, I went ahead and tried to get at least 5 hours in from my parents house.  This meant that I had to have my co-workers call me and then put their cell phone on speakerphone so that I could hear the conversation that everyone was having on the video meeting.  One of the complications / inconveniences to moving to a rural area is that access to the internet is not equal.  My grandmother, who didn’t even use the internet, could get high speed at her house.  She lived less than a half of a mile down the road from my parents, who have to use a Verizon hotspot card to have access to the internet.  This has become a factor in our housing decision, as we realize that our lifestyle demands high speed internet.  We actually have ruled out looking at some properties because we know that they only have satellite internet. 

After doing my best to work, I met my cousin, Kim, and she and I went to town with our boys.  We ran some errands and happened to go through the drive thru of McDonalds.  The McDonalds in Greencastle is one of the busiest franchises in the country.  I would guess that everyone in this county eats there at least twice a week , based on the amount of traffic that goes through there.  We joined the masses in our quest for an iced tea and noticed that the funeral home behind the McDonalds had a procession lined up.  In one of the cars was Clay’s aunt and uncle.  We waved and then drove back around the restaurant and I got out to say hello and let them know the arrangements for my grandma’s funeral.  They were on their way to the cemetery to bury an uncle.  As I got back into my cousin’s car, I recognized that I had just experienced one of the reasons that we worked so hard to be able to move back to where we grew up.  People around here know each other deeply.  Not always because they are related to each other, but because we grew up together and have a shared set of experiences and traditions that bond us.  The “everybody knows everybody’ way of life can be annoying, but we feel the benefit outweighs the cost.  It is what we want our son to experience, as it helps with accountability and a sense of belonging, which are hard to find today.

I also got to go on a last minute shopping trip to Plainfield with my mom, aunt, and cousin.  Everyone wants to look good at the funeral and visitation.   I am still living out of my suitcase, and happen to have dress clothes, but my mom wanted my opinion so I went along.  Once again, I got to go hang out with three women who know me very well, which is why I want to be back here.  I have missed being able to take those kind of impromptu shopping trips.